Archive for the ‘Newsification’ Category

Following the ‘revelation’ by the Daily Express that more people solve online crosswords than have sex (actually it was just a plug for their online puzzles pages) I was contacted by BBC Radio Humberside to do an interview with them early this afternoon. As it turned out there was no discussion about the Express survey, but presenter Peter Levy did ask about life as a crossword setter. The interview will stay online for 7 days so if you want to have a listen here’s the link:

Despite having crosswords published in so many places it’s still a buzz to see them in print, and tomorrow is a very special day for me. As Anax, I make my debut in the Inquisitor series (Independent magazine). The Inquisitor is the barred thematic puzzle a la Listener/EV and this is my first foray in national print (I’ve had a couple of efforts published online in Magpie and on Neil Shepherd’s Free Crossword Online).

With it being a prize puzzle I can say nothing about it, but I can say it’s a huge thrill to have my first one in print. I’m tremendously grateful to editor John Henderson for allowing me to interrupt the flow of the big boys who regularly contribute to this prestigious series. I just hope that solvers will enjoy my humble efforts.

It’ll be a few weeks before it gets blogged on FifteenSquared but, as it’s my debut, I would really like feedback. If you get a chance to solve it then, primarily, THANK YOU, but if you’d like to let me know what you thought I’d be even more grateful.

PLEASE DON’T LEAVE COMMENTS HERE! In line with other crossword sites I would like to uphold the policy of not mentioning prize puzzles of this type online before their closing dates. However, if you enjoy it (or not) do please send me a text:

Most of the guff I’ve written about crossword setting has mentioned that some answers force themselves into the grid because of checking letters, and that sometimes the hardest part is writing clues for these. Read the rest of this entry »

After installing AdBlock I find I can no longer access FaceBook, despite all attempts to disable it for the site, re-launching the browser, resetting the router etc etc. With immediate effect, and based on the fact that I really can’t be bothered messing around with it, I am OFF FaceBook with no particular desire to return. I’d recommend you bookmark this blog if you haven’t already done so, as I can’t even access FB using the ‘share’ function here.

Sam Wilson has set up a Google blog page which lists all the latest happenings in the world of cryptic crosswords. It’s really surprising that no-one has thought of doing this before, but there you go! I’ve included a permanent link in the list on the bottom left of this page, but here’s the bookmark you need: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/114094793428574469056 – highly recommended!

2013 promises to be an exciting cruciverbal year as we celebrate 100 years of crosswords, and several plans are afoot to attract new solvers (and, hopefully, setters) into our friendly fold. However, there’s just one plan that worries me slightly. Read the rest of this entry »

And we start 2013 with a little grumble. Setters don’t expect to log on to forums and see their work greeted with universal plaudits, and we’re always happy to have our (hopefully minor) failings pointed out, but there is one comment that makes me grit my teeth. Read the rest of this entry »